Wednesday, July 16, 2014 Robert E. Lee Morris

Theme: An ordinary, unexceptional, prosaic, standard-issue, run of the mill Wednesday at The Corner.  The first word of today's theme entries can be combined with the unifier word GARDEN to present a VARIETY of in-the-language pairings.  Often with this kind of theme the generated phrase is original, clever and humorous.  Today, true to the spirit of the theme, the resulting phrases are of the GARDEN VARIETY.

The unifier first.  36 A. Commonplace, and what the start of 17-, 24-, 51- or 60-Across is : GARDEN VARIETY.  The first recorded use in a figurative sense is from 1928.   The evident reference is to something that might be found in anyone's home garden, hence, not special, unique nor exotic.  The meaning has expanded a bit to imply mediocrity.

17. Green Day's "American Idiot," e.g. : ROCK OPERA.  Released 10 years ago. A sample follows, if you're into that sort of thing.   A ROCK GARDEN, cleverly enough, is an an area landscaped with ROCKs and plants suited to that environment.

Source

24. NASCAR winner's celebration : VICTORY LAP.  One turn around the track at low speed to allow the winner to bask in the adulation of her/his adoring fans.  VICTORY GARDENs were vegetable and herb gardens planted at private residences or public parks in the U.S. and several other countries during WW II.  They took considerable pressure off of the public food supply and contributed to morale on the home front.

51. 1995 Stephen King novel : ROSE MADDER.  Story about abuse, with the main character ROSE Daniels, in which the pigment ROSE MADDER plays a peripheral role.  There are many ROSE GARDENs.  One of the famous ones borders the Oval Office and West Wing of the White House.  It was established in 1913 by First Lady Ellen Loise Axson Wilson.

 60. Spare tire : BEER BELLY.   Two slang expressions denoting excess in the midriff region, aka Dunlop's Disease, 'cuz when you sits down, yer belly done lops over yer belt.  A BEER GARDEN is an outdoor area, usually associated with a pub or restaurant where beer and food are served.  The history is quite interesting.

This clever theme presents us with four quite different VARIETIES of GARDENS.   Mediocre?  I think not.

Hi, gang, it's JzB your humble GARDEN VARIETY trombonist.  Let's see what else Robert has planted for us. 

Across

1. Place to wipe your boots : MAT.  On the floor by the door.

4. Vice squad strategies : RAIDS. 

9. "Darn!" : SHOOT.  I'm guessing this is a not-quite-sound-alike substitute for a less polite word.

14. Sister of Zsa Zsa : EVA. The third sib is Magda.

15. Flynn of film : ERROL.  Famous buckler of swashes in Captain Blood, The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Sea Hawk and many more.

Source

16. Main artery : AORTA. Literally, the main artery of the blood stream.

19. Govt.-backed bond : T-NOTE.  T is for Treasury. These notes are issued in terms of 2, 3, 5, 7 and 10 years.

20. Secretary of the Interior under FDR : ICKES.  Harold L., progressive Republican deeply involved in Chicago politics, who was recruited by FDR to appeal to middle-of-the-road [Garden Variety?] voters.  No politics at The Corner, but you can read about him here.

21. Navel type : INNIE. There are two varieties.  Check them out [or in] here.

23. Commuting start? : TELE. Telecommuting. Working from home via an electronic device. 

29. First-class : STELLAR.  The best - probably because this word in its literal sense refers to stars, and they are brilliant.

31. Sales incentive : REBATE.  Money back from the seller can be STELLAR.

32. Send to the statehouse : ELECT.  In this case, as the governor.

35. "¿Cómo __?" : ESTA.  How are you, amigo?  Lots of Spanish today.

41. Shade of green : JADE.  Green-blue hue named for a gem stone.

42. German steel city : ESSEN. This western German city dates from the 9th century.  For the last 400 years it has been associated with the Krupp steel company.

43. __ energy : ATOMIC.  Kinetic, potential, chemical, mechanical, magnetic, thermal -- the list goes on.

46. Sleeveless shirt : TANK TOP.   Here's one in JADE green.

Source

54. Prefix with space : AERO.  A refreshingly honest prefix clue referring to efforts in science, engineering and business to fly in the atmosphere of Earth (aeronautics) and surrounding space (astronautics). [Wikipedia]

55. English Channel port : DOVER.  In a region famous for it's white cliffs, as in this WW II era song.

56. Fashionista Mary-Kate : OLSEN.  I guess M-K and her twin sis Ashley have become celebrities, which one wag defined as people well-known for being famous.

57. Bolt on a track : USAIN.  Love this clue.  Bolt means [among other things] to move fast, and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt certainly does that.

Source

63. Red Sea peninsula : SINAI.  A region of Egypt between the Red Sea to the south and the Mediterranean to the north.  To the East, it borders Israel.  It is mostly separated from the rest of Egypt by the Gulf of Suez.

64. Pi, for one : RATIO.  Specifically, the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter.

65. Tempe sch. : ASU.  Arizona State University.

66. Prop for a clown : STILT.  Nice double meaning.  Looks harmless.

 Source

67. Hacienda brick : ADOBE.  Straw reinforced bricks of clay or mud, dried in the sun.

68. Fall mo. : SEPtember.

Down

1. Inherent rights and wrongs, as of a case : MERITS.  Perhaps our legal beagles can elaborate.

2. Long-legged shore bird : AVOCET.  This had me so stumped for a while, that I doubted the perp EVA.  Finally had to go googling.

Source

3. Take on, as a challenge : TACKLE.

4. Vintage cars : REOS.  It seems that Ransom Eli Olds enjoyed naming cars after himself.  I don't think he has anything to do with this, though.

5. Dadaism founder : ARP.  Jean or Hans, depending on his audience, a French-German sculptor, painter, poet, and abstract artist.  Dada [a word of uncertain origin] rejected reason and logic, prizing nonsense, irrationality and intuition.

6. Rage : IRE. Anger.

7. Greek architectural style : DORIC. The plainest of the three classic support column styles.

Source

8. Viewpoint : SLANT.  Everybody has one.

9. "The Colbert Report" stock-in-trade : SATIRE. Political.

10. Winged stinger : HONEY BEE.

11. Gold, in Guadalajara : ORO.  Spanish gold.

12. Polo Grounds hero Mel : OTT.  Most famous crossword baseball player.

13. __ Bo : TAE.  a total body fitness system that incorporates Martial Arts techniques.  This phrase is both a portmanteau and a backronym.  I am not making this up.

18. Ship stabilizer : KEEL. Either the backbone of a ship or a vertical projection from the bottom of a boat.  It lowers the center of gravity to help keep the vessel upright, and also aids forward motion by resisting side-slipping. 

22. "... a borrower __ a lender ...": "Hamlet" : NOR.  I thought it came from Ben Franklin.  Live and learn.

24. Low-lying land : VALE.

25. "Me, Myself & __": Jim Carrey film : IRENE.   I wanted EILENE.  That's my mom.  IRENE is her twin sister.

26. In the cellar, sportswise : LAST.   Surprisingly, where the Red Sox are at the moment.

27. ABA member : ATTY.  American Bar Association and ATTorneY.

28. Pot pie veggie : PEA.  I like them, but not everybody does.

30. Was in front : LED.  Like the K. C. Royals did briefly in mid-June.

33. Rite Aid rival : CVS.   Drug stores

34. Sample : TASTE.  Is it in good taste to taste a TASTE?

36. Chihuahua cat : GATO.   Mas Español.

37. Ruckuses : ADOS.   Not often seen in the plural. 

38. Like some skill-building classes : REMEDIAL.  These classes are intended to correct a deficiency.

39. __ admiral : REAR.  The lowest of the admiral ranks.

40. Bed-and-breakfast, e.g. : INN.  Establishment offering food and lodgings.

41. Moonshine container : JAR.  I had JUG at first.

44. "Consider the job done!" : I'M ON IT.   As with this puzzle, but I'm not done yet.

45. Cleveland NBAer : CAValier.

47. Cabbagelike plant : KALE.  A leafy green.

48. Electric cars named for a physicist : TESLAS.

49. Ultimatum words : OR ELSE.  Sounds like a threat.

50. Fork over what's due : PONY UP.   The meaning is clear.  The origin - not so much.

52. Actress Winger : DEBRA.  Her break-through role was in Urban Cowboy (1980.)

Source

53. Profound fear : DREAD.

56. Clarinet cousin : OBOE.  I don't think this is valid.  Cylindrical vs conical bore is simply too great a difference in my mind, let alone single vs double reed.  But you can check it out and draw your own conclusions.

57. Naval letters : USS.  United States Ship.  I just recently learned that SS means Steam Ship.

58. Grab a stool : SIT.  In a bar or a barn?

59. "Give me __!": start of a Hoosier cheer : AN I.  For Indiana.  Why Hoosier?  There's more here than I cared to read.

61. WWII arena : ETO.  European Theater of Operations.

62. Tease : RIB.  Another word uncertain origin, perhaps from something funny being rib-tickling.

Quite a nice puzzle, despite a couple nits, and fun to blog.  Hope you all enjoyed it.

Cool regards!
JzB  

Tuesday, July 15, 2014 C.W. Stewart

Theme: Animal Punnies

17A. Store where Yogi shops? : BEAR MARKET

27A. Hangout for Mickey? : MOUSE PAD

44A. Language that Porky studies? : PIG LATIN

57A. Corn for Bugs? : RABBIT EARS

11D. Trash in Sylvester's room? : CAT LITTER

34D. Ping-Pong tool for Goofy? : DOG PADDLE

Argyle here. This one had me laughing from the get-go.

Across:

1. Unwanted email : SPAM

5. "Star Trek" genre : SCI-FI

10. Con job : SCAM

14. Actress Jessica : ALBA

15. Falcon's weapon : TALON

16. It's filled and folded : TACO

19. Mediterranean volcano : ETNA

20. Resin used in varnish : LAC

21. Visual aids : EYEs

22. It's folded and filled : OMELET

24. Some Alaska natives : ESKIMOs

26. Funny Cheri : OTERI. Echo from yesterday.

29. Bygone airline letters : TWA

32. Small piece of gossip : TIDBIT

35. Abbr. on a business card : TEL.

36. Big name : STAR

37. French love : AMOUR

38. Degree for many a prof : PHD

39. At the ready : ALERT

40. See 26-Down : PAGE

41. Poor grade : DEE

42. Braininess : SMARTS

43. Sound booster : AMP

46. Precincts : AREAs

48. Bureaucratic tangle : RED TAPE

52. Trying to avoid detection : HIDING

54. Works on the road : TARS

55. Afternoon party : TEA

56. Track figures : ODDS

60. __ Decor: home fashion mag : ELLE

61. Be useful to : AVAIL

62. Party wheel : BRIE

63. Understands : SEES

64. Choreographer Cunningham : MERCE. Unknown to me.

65. Something to settle up : BILL

Down:

1. Luxurious fur : SABLE

2. Answers in court : PLEAs

3. Startling way to be taken : ABACK

4. Scuff or scratch : MAR

5. Sign on a moping teen's door : STAY OUT!

6. Loving touch : CARESS

7. Varieties : ILKS

8. One opposed : FOE

9. All together : IN TOTAL

10. Take the wheel : STEER

12. Complexion woe : ACNE

13. Castle security : MOAT

18. Personal record : MEMOIR

23. __ school : MED

25. Suffuse, as with color : IMBUE

26. With 40-Across, place to see views : OP ED

28. Lucy's sidekick : ETHEL

30. Target of Dr. Scholl's Freeze Away : WART

31. Partner of letters : ARTS

32. Spanish hors d'oeuvre : TAPA. Usually, tapas.

33. Muslim leader : IMAM

36. Lean one way or another : SLANT

38. Places to hang hats : PEGS

39. Surrounded by : AMIDST

41. How-to book feature : DIAGRAM

42. More than just clean : STERILE

44. Farm enclosure : PEN

45. Middle East language : ARABIC

47. Goes up : RISES

49. Video game pioneer : ATARI

50. Problem for Pauline : PERIL. The early version of "Fast and Furious"?

51. Prop for a painter : EASEL

52. Goes after weeds : HOES

53. Like some chatter : IDLE

54. Lift up the slope : T-BAR

58. "__ Maria" : AVE

59. Outward flow : EBB

Argyle

Monday, July 14, 2014 Jeff Stillman

Theme: Easy as A, B, C - But that D might get you.

18A. Fun runs, often : ONE-K RACES

26A. Mobile phone system that introduced SMS texting : TWO-G NETWORK. (second-generation network) (SMS - Short Message Service)

41A. Film that requires special eyewear : THREE-D MOVIE

54A. Youth organization with a clover emblem : FOUR-H CLUB

Argyle here. I'd say three out of four clues are Monday level, but oh! that fourth.

Across:

1. Makes wet : DAMPS

6. Second half of a record : SIDE B

11. "Alley __" : OOP. OOP OOP OOP

14. Praise mightily : EXALT

15. Former "American Idol" judge Abdul : PAULA

16. Depot: Abbr. : STA. (station)

17. One-over-par score : BOGEY

20. Miffed state : SNIT

21. The "I" in MIT: Abbr. : INST. (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

22. Target rival : KMART

23. 1989 French Open winner Michael : CHANG. When he won the French Open in 1989 at the age of 17 years and 4 months, he became the youngest male player to win a Grand Slam singles title.

25. Illinois city symbolizing mainstream America : PEORIA. "Will It play in Peoria?"

29. In the know : AWARE

30. Dinghy pair : OARS

31. Spanish sun : SOL

34. 1492 ship : NINA

35. Spot for a bracelet : WRIST

37. Smokes, for short : CIGs

38. "__ be an honor!" : IT'D. (It would be)

39. Literature Nobelist Bellow : SAUL

40. World-renowned : FAMED

44. Arrive on horseback : RIDE UP. More breakfast friendly than the other kind of "ride up".

47. Of the ear : AURAL

48. Suggestion box suggestions : IDEAs

49. Comfy and cozy : SNUG

51. Tibetan priest : LAMA

56. Put on the tube : AIRED

57. Inc. kin : LLC. (limited liability company)

58. Wear away slowly : ERODE

59. Triangular river formation : DELTA. Formed by upstream erosion.

60. Language ending : ESE

61. Knight mare? : STEED

62. Laundromat appliance : DRYER

Down:

1. Belles at balls : DEBs. (debutantes)

2. Nerve cell transmitter : AXON

3. Potter's stick? : MAGIC WAND. It was Potterhead weekend on AMC.

4. Superabundance : PLETHORA. Ollivander's Shop has a plethora wands.

5. Messy digs : STY

6. Dish cleaner : SPONGE

7. Fleming and McKellen : IANs. An author and an actor.

8. Song for two : DUET

9. Yellowstone Park grazer : ELK

10. Carnival pitchmen : BARKERS

11. Tinseltown trophy : OSCAR

12. Cheri of "SNL" : OTERI

13. Linguini or fettuccine : PASTA

19. Wild way to run : AMOK

21. Roadside shelter : INN

24. __ of Reason : AGE. The Age of Reason; Being an Investigation of True and Fabulous Theology is a pamphlet, written by Thomas Paine and published in three parts.

25. Seaside city : PORT. Not every port is seaside nor is every seaside city a port.

26. Twerp : TWIT. No need to call names.

27. Picturesque fabric : TOILE

28. "Who __ that masked man?" : WAS. "That was the Lone Ranger!" "Hi-Yo, Silver!"

29. "Wheel of Fortune" buy : AN I

31. Likewise : SIMILARLY

32. S-shaped molding : OGEE

33. It made Leary bleary : LSD

35. Hypothetical time irregularity : WARP. Funny, coming right after LSD.

36. Be contrite about : RUE

37. Cleveland NBA player : CAVALIER. As of Saturday, so is LeBron James.

39. Tells to be quiet : SHUSHes

40. Part of FWIW : FOR. (For What It's Worth)

41. Scotch tape target : TEAR. Double-sided can be used to hold green dresses in place.

42. Did some finger painting : DAUBED

43. Coffee holder : MUG

44. Hunting weapon : RIFLE

45. Objects of devotion : IDOLS

46. "Little __ Coupe": Beach Boys hit : DEUCE

49. Gin fizz fruit : SLOE

50. Naked : NUDE

52. Apportion, with "out" : METE

53. Hebrew winter month : ADAR

55. Old PC monitor : CRT. (cathode ray tube)

56. Toss into the mix : ADD

Argyle

Sunday July 13, 2014 Garry Morse

Theme:   "Lo and Behold!" -LO is inserted into each theme answer.

23A. Tango involving gates? : SLALOM DANCING. Slam dancing.

33A. Most shameful nonstudio films? : LOWEST INDIES. West Indies.

52A. Opinion piece by a sot? : LOOPED COLUMN. Op-ed column. Who's your favorite columnist?

69A. Song about a guy with his jug of wine? : FOR ME AND MY GALLO. For Me and My Gal.

90A. Vivaldi's styling business? : SALON ANTONIO. San Antonio. Antonio Vivaldi.

104A. Time for a weekly parade? : FLOAT TUESDAY. Fat Tuesday.

122A. Hit homers batting left- and right-handed? : CLOUT BOTH WAYS. Cut both ways.

No Garry Morse in our blog label, must be a debut. Quite a feat to make a debut on Sunday, as the grid is much more demanding. Tiny dupes like this happen often:

119A. Former : ONE TIME

103D. "Have an hors d'oeuvre" : TRY ONE

Rich & Patti normally do not allow those dupes.
 

Across:

1. Get at : IMPLY

6. Work with ice, perhaps : SCULPT. We also have 125. Ice removal tool : SCRAPER. Stunning

12. Gossip components : TIDBITS. Sohu (China) has an insane amount of gossip.

19. Sierra Nevada resort : TAHOE

20. Pennsylvania railroad town : ALTOONA. Is this an Indian name also?

22. Busts a gut over : ROARS AT

25. All together : EN MASSE

26. There's one next to Ventnor Ave. in Monopoly : UTIL

27. Musical liability : TIN EAR. That's what I have.

28. The ANC's country : RSA. ANC is the African National Congress.

30. Digs of twigs : NEST

31. Outcasts : PARIAHS

37. Cue : PROMPT

40. Typical Popstar! reader : TEEN

41. Reject : NIX

42. Peter Lorre role : MR MOTO. Wiki said the author "initially created the character for the Saturday Evening Post, which was seeking stories with an Asian hero after the death of Charlie Chan's creator Earl Derr Biggers".

45. Burning : LIT

47. Tear into : ASSAIL

49. Tax pro, briefly : CPA

55. Was humbled : ATE CROW. Or DIRT.

57. Test sites : LABS

58. Author __ Rogers St. Johns : ADELA. Also the girl in "A Passage to India".

59. Word of woe : ALAS

61. Fail to keep : LOSE

62. Magazine VIPs : EDs

63. Letters on a Cardinal cap : STL

65. Jungian inner self : ANIMA

67. Throws out : EJECTS

73. Pepperdine University site : MALIBU. Not familiar with Pepperdine University.

76. Followers : SHEEP. English is irrational. With sheep & deer.

77. "The X-Files" subj. : UFO

78. Red Guard leader : MAO. He encouraged those red guards to stir up some trouble.

81. Keats works : ODES

82. "House" actor : EPPS (Omar)

84. Truman's Missouri birthplace : LAMAR

87. The Taj Mahal, e.g. : TOMB

88. Like fine wine : VINTAGE

93. Close : END

94. 1939 Buck Rogers player : CRABBE (Buster)

97. "Just __" : ASK

98. Not back, perhaps : OPPOSE

99. Key letter : PHI

100. Cambodian capital : RIEL. Sihanouk died in Beijing. The international section of our evening news always had heavy coverage of Khmer Rouge & Gaza Strip & The Base (Al-Qaeda).

102. Loathing : HATRED. And 6. Extreme cruelty : SADISM. Dexter Filkins called those ISIS guys psychopaths.

109. Symbol of love : RED ROSE

113. Pool regimen : LAPS

114. ABBA's homeland: Abbr. : SWE

115. Saunters : MOSEYS

118. Crafts partner : ARTS

126. Choking cause : TENSION. Bases loaded with two outs situation, correct?

127. London length : METRE

128. Quarterly arrivals : SEASONS

129. "Tristram Shandy" author : STERNE (Laurence). Have you read the novel?

130. Creme-filled snacks : OREOS

Down:

1. "__ to you" : IT'S UP

2. Smallest European Union country : MALTA

3. Singer Liz : PHAIR. Splynter's type of girl.

4. Rewards for kids : LOLLIPOPS

5. USN clerk : YEO. Yeoman.

7. Highlands family : CLAN

8. __ Reader : UTNE

9. It makes all the stops : LOCAL

10. "Egocentric little creep" of a detective, according to the author who created him : POIROT. Again, from Wiki: "By 1930, Agatha Christie found Poirot "insufferable", and by 1960 she felt that he was a "detestable, bombastic, tiresome, ego-centric little creep". 

11. Old Opry network : TNN

12. Reward for a pet : TREAT. He loves his Kong.

13. K+, e.g. : ION

14. Farm female : DAM

15. Unnamed competitor, in ads : BRAND X

16. Japanese immigrant : ISSEI. The first-generation Japanese-American.

17. Café cup : TASSE

18. Editorial changes of heart : STETS

21. Goes along : AGREES

24. View from Portland, Ore. : MT. HOOD

29. IRS form entries : SSNS

32. Comic Johnson : ARTE

34. Withdraw : WEAN

35. Per se : IN ITSELF

36. "Aida" backdrop : NILE. And 56. Queen of the 36-Down, familiarly : CLEO

38. Slog : PLOD

39. Ceramic piece, perhaps : TILE

42. Fr. miss : MLLE

43. Country __ : ROAD

44. Surrounds en masse : MOBS. This dupes the previous EN MASSE answer. Hard to spot in a huge grid.

46. School severely damaged by Katrina : TULANE

48. Org. with towers : AAA. Tow-ers.

49. Swamp snapper : CROC

50. Mail : POST

51. Leaves open-mouthed : AWES

53. Relax : CALM

54. "Long Walk to Freedom" autobiographer : MANDELA. Iraq needs a Mandela.

59. Five-time Oscar nominee Adams : AMY. So pretty.

60. Fall back : LAG

63. Cry hard : SOB

64. Wayne's Oscar film : TRUE GRIT

66. Savanna grazer : IMPALA

68. Self-titled best-selling album of 2001 : J. LO

69. It may be pumped or bumped : FIST. First bump is called DAP.

70. Psychic's claim : ESP. And 72. It may be detected by a psychic : AURA

71. Relaxed responses : AHS

73. Relocate : MOVE

74. Court advantage : AD IN

75. Give conditionally : LEND

78. Like most pre-'60s recordings : MONO

79. "The Information" author Martin : AMIS

80. Slim woodwind : OBOE

83. Soup veggie : PEA. I love sugar peas.

85. Dance in a pit : MOSH

86. "She's a Lady" songwriter : ANKA

87. Excellent : TOP DRAWER. Top entry!

89. Sieben und eins : ACHT. I did not know Sieben is German for 7.

90. Tourney ranking : SEED

91. Beef from the weary : NO REST

92. Pranked, in a way : TP'ED

95. Tea or coffee : BREW

96. Divide equally : BISECT

99. Ristorante offerings : PASTAS

101. __ Cranston, a.k.a. "The Shadow" : LAMONT. Also new to me.

104. Oral-B product : FLOSS

105. Tilting pole : LANCE

106. Dvorák's "Rusalka," e.g. : OPERA

107. Netizens, say : USERS

108. Brooklynese pronoun : YOUSE. Plural of "you".

110. Declaim : ORATE

111. Start to foam? : STYRO. Styrofoam.

112. Assisi trio? : ESSES

116. Ruin Bond's martini : STIR

117. Jet-black, in verse : EBON

120. Newsworthy NYSE event : IPO

121. Fathers and sons : MEN

123. "__ Miz" : LES

124. Wellness gp. : HMO

C.C.

Saturday, Jul 12th, 2014, Barry C. Silk

Theme: Saturday Silkie~!

Words: 70 (missing F,J,X)

Blocks: 29

   Yep, I felt we were getting a Silkie today~!  I liked this one - just enough of a challenge without being jammed up with a lot of proper names and vague references.  Triple 7's in the Downs, triple 11's in the Across - missed the date ( 7-11 ) by one day....Two other long fills on the inside as well, and a stair pattern at the center, plus a low block clount.  Some of the longer fill:

15a. 1959 Fabian hit : TURN ME LOOSE - Link away, because I knew this one growing up

 65a. "Mission: Impossible" actor : PETER GRAVES - Also "Captain Clarence Oveur"

Onward....

ACROSS:

1. Strategy rarely involving a power hitter : SQUEEZE PLAY - Some baseball for C.C., right off the bat - pun intended

12. Class fig. : GPA - Not EST. - my graduating class was 791 students

16. Art of MGM? : ARS - Ars Gratia Artis - seems WAY too easy, especially for Mr. Silk

17. Oil field workers : ROUSTABOUTS - according to the dictionary, it's an Americanism, and isn't limited to oil fields - any unskilled laborer

18. 1909 ballet "__ Sylphides" : LES - sensible WAG, but I waited on perps

19. Portuguese is its official lang. : ANG - ANGOLA, Africa

20. Scotland's __ Awe : LOCH - DAH~!  I had PESTERS in at 8d., so I did not see this at first

21. Static, e.g. : NOISE - my first thought, and I hesitated

23. Not surprising : USUAL - my first thought, and I hesitated again

26. Personal question? : WHO

27. Gulf sight : OILER - Seen in Edmonton, too

28. '60s Navy project : SEALAB - there were three; more from Wiki

30. Sharp turn : ELL - Dah~!  I tried ZIG

32. Riga native : LETT - Got it, but spelled it LATT first

33. Touch screen accessory : STYLUS

34. Liability-limiting order : STOP-LOSS - investment market security measure - sounds like I know something, but I just looked it up

36. Cheater's tool : CRIB - Cliff's Notes didn't fit

38. "J'accuse" writer : ZOLA - Perps and WAGs

39. Ios and Naxos are in them : CYCLADES - I have heard of this place, but I was thinking along the lines of asteroids in the belt - it's all Greek to me....

43. Fast ballroom dances : MAMBOS - I have this Perry Como song in my MP3 player - from "Ocean's Eleven" - but we would change the lyrics to "Pablo Loves Mangos"

47. Second : AIDE

48. American __ : ELM - OK, who else went with "PIE"~!?

49. Home of the 3M Company : ST. PAUL - More for our Minnesotan (doesn't sound right)

50. "SportsCenter" brief : RECAP

52. USSR successor : CIS - Commonwealth of Independent States - perps

54. Extend an invitation for : ASK TO

55. Santa __ : CLARA - first thought, but I waited, again...tsk-tsk

56. 7, for N : AT. No. - Atomic Number - nailed it

58. Latin is often heard in it : LAW

59. Pitches : ADS

60. Vision : MENTAL IMAGE

64. Holy mlle. : STE

66. Desperate letters : S.O.S.

67. "It's about time they all left!" : "ALONE AT LAST~!"

DOWN:       

1. "Salome" composer : STRAUSS

2. __ hut : QUONSET - It's great to get the 11-letter fill at 1a. - makes all the downs that much easier~!

3. First FIFA World Cup winner : URUGUAY - sure, when you have the U-----Y in place

4. Inning trio? : ENs - iNNiNgs

5. CPR provider : EMT

6. Fire : ZEAL - again, with the "Z" there....

7. Pasta shape : ELBOW

8. Hounds : POOCHES - PESTERS was a good fit, too

9. Longtime college football coach who is now an ESPN analyst : LOU HOLTZ - Last to fill, and a WAG

10. Bermuda hrs. : AST - Atlantic Standard Time

11. Offering only two choices : YES/NO

12. First spacecraft to orbit Jupiter : GALILEO - VOYAGER fit, but that just flew past

13. Radio buttons : PRESETS

14. Claims : ASSERTS

22. Light sources : OIL LAMPS

24. Safety announcement : ALL CLEAR

25. Preminger noir classic : LAURA

29. Surprise hit, maybe : B-SIDE

31. They have shuttles and treadles : LOOMS

35. Montana motto word : PLATA - Oro Y Plata - Gold & Silver

37. Singing style in Rossini operas : BEL CANTO - Beautiful Singing in Italian

39. Lifeless form : CARCASS - Nice way to define this

40. Accept : YIELD TO

41. Jewel boxes : CD CASES

42. In love : SMITTEN - Like this....I found this funny, too

 

44. Filo pastry dessert : BAKLAVA - really good; used to get some after having a gyro

45. Storm consequences : OUTAGES - Tis the season, at least around here

46. Last to finish : SLOWEST - makes sense when it's filled in....

51. Argentine grassland : PAMPA

53. Bag : SNARE

57. First name in Russian gymnastics : OLGA

61. Sushi choice : EEL - DAH~! not AHI

62. Lexington Ave. line : IRT -

63. Practice leader? : MAL - Malpractice

Splynter

Note from C.C.:

Happy 84th Birthday to dear Sallie! Are your sons visiting you for the special occasion, Sallie? Hope all is well with you. 

 

Friday, July 11, 2014, Jacob Stulberg

Theme: Welcome to Crossword CORNER! Leave your STAND over there.

A quick turnaround in Friday puzzles for Jacob, as we just had him on June 20, with his BETCHA CAN'T EAT JUST ONE puzzle..Today we have a visual where the reveal tells us to look at the corners and the circled spaces. Obviously, the theme is impossible without the circles. Each set makes a word when read around the corner; each describes a type of stand. (Stand in the corner...get it?). The visual of the puzzle almost shows the various stands in the corners, if you use your imagination. I confess the connection between the four circled answers eluded me. But with a little help from my friends... Ringo turned 74 on Monday! With so few words dedicated to the theme there was plenty of room for fun and Jacob gives us 30! seven (7) letter fill. Some of the best are ANODYNE,  A PRIORI, BROMINE,  DEDUCES,  DEMERIT, FLAT TAX,  FLICKER, GONE MAD,  GRENADE,  HIND END,  IMITATE,  INK PADS, RADIATE, ROGAINE, ROLODEX,  SEXLESS, SPLAYED, SUMATRA. Anyway, here we go...

21A. With 55-Across, be punished at school, old-style ... and a hint to this puzzle's circled letters : STAND IN.(7). 55A. See 21-Across : A CORNER.(7) This was a common punishment in grammar school when i was young. The revealed words in the circles are:

NW: MUSIC (5) Music stand.
NE: DISPLAY (7).Display stand.
SW: TAXI  (4).Taxi stand.
SE: WITNESS (7).Witness stand.

Across:

1. Often-bracketed word : SIC. Does (sic) you often get this wrong?

4. Lot's uncle : ABRAHAM. His wife got in a lot of trouble with too much sodium. Bible. 43D. Whence "salt of the earth" : MATTHEW. More bible, 5:13. Salt appears again (after Ms. Lot's transformation) as early as Leviticus 2:13.

11. Put down : DIS. The modern shortcut speak of DISRESPECT, not related to the negative prefix DYS. Surprised by the inclusion of 45D. Object : DISSENT, which does come from the same base.

14. Dotted line? : URL. Uniform Resource Locator, another modern clue/fill.

15. One of the halogens : BROMINE. Old knowledge here, (Br) along with fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl), iodine (I), and astatine (At) are elements.I did not recall At, meaning I guess I no longer know where it is At.

16. Diocletian, e.g.: Abbr. : EMPeror. Old, old KNOWLEDGE. Thanks to my Classics major son, I am aware this one was the last in the chain to severely persecute Christians.

17. 1972 host to Nixon : MAO. I remember it well.

18. Color in four-color printing : MAGENTA. One of the CYMK colors, Cyan, Yellow, Magenta and the Key color Black.. Maybe marti will be nice enough to explain color printing.

19. 1,000 thou : MIL.

20. T or F, maybe : ANSwer.

22. Itinerary abbr. : ETA. Estimated Time of Arrival.

23. Knotted : TIED. The score was....

25. Begets : SIRES. Now some biblical wording.

26. Tea holder : TRAY. Tea the service, not the bag or the drink.

27. Deserve : RATE.

28. Family nickname : NAN. I presume he is referring to the common nickname for grandmothers.

29. Bar mitzvah, for one : RITE. Ritual.

30. Pain reliever : ANODYNE.I am not sure where I learned the word, but Martha Grimes, Anodyne Necklace placed it firmly in my memory banks.

33. Charged, as an account : DEBITED.

36. OPEC member : UAE.United Arab Emirates.

37. Certain clip-on, briefly : MIC. This clue at least tells you it is an abbreviation.

38. Start to go out : FLICKER. Light bulbs and humans are good examples.

42. Lost it : GONE MAD. Sounds like a drama queen to me.

46. Unassisted : LONE.

47. Galley item : OAR. The ship not the kitchen on a ship.

49. Big __: Red Sox slugger's nickname : PAPI. Not much joy in Beantown this year for any of the defending World Series champs. Chemistry really seems to matter.

50. Aquatic birds : AUKS. WATCH. (2:18) Anyone been to Auckland? Not related.

51. Stephen King's "Doctor __" : SLEEP. His recent sequel to THE SHINING. LINK.

53. Orch. section : STRS. I guess this means strings, JzB, help me out?

54. Hot info? : TIP. From the track touts next to....

57. "___ not for you to hear what I can speak": "Macbeth" : TIS. The ironic greeting MacDuff gives Lady Macbeth as she comes upon Duncan's lifeless body.

58. Gatekeeping org.? : TSA. Transportation Security Administration.

59. Give off : RADIATE.Pregnant women are said to glow, what do you think? Talented?

60. Prepare for planting : HOE. No Don Imus jokes.

61. Lend a hand : AID.

62. Like new tires : TREADED. Really?

63. Directional suffix : ERN.

64. Frat letters : XIS.

65. Neuter : SEXLESS. Hey, let's not get personal.

66. One skilled in repartee : WIT. Well we are half way home, and perhaps the same can be said for the wit here.

Down:

1. Island on the Equator : SUMATRA. My favorite Starbuck's coffee. This is the largest purely Indonesian Island, and sixth largest island in the world. (per wiki).

2. Ahvaz native : IRANIAN. A city from ancient Persia with a new NAME.

3. Within reach of : CLOSE TO. All perps.

4. Subj. of a 1972 defense treaty : ABMS. Anti-Ballistic MissileS.

5. Regular sources of annoyance : BRATS. Well those Chicago Cub and Bear fans can get very rowdy.

6. Growth industry brand? : ROGAINE. Funny, hair growth industry.

7. Egyptian god : AMEN RA. Also spelled AMON and AMUN. More religion.

8. Rear : HIND END. What we often think of when dealing with...

9. Naysayers : ANTIS, who are often bad-spirited or down right...

10. Small-minded : MEAN. If we run things we can give them a ...

11. Black mark : DEMERIT.

12. Ape : IMITATE. I am excited about tonight's opening of this new franchise LINK.

13. Spread out : SPLAYED. Sounds cute but very serious for ANIMALS.

24. Concludes : DEDUCES. Interesting as this is part of understanding 44D. Like some knowledge : A PRIORI and deductive reasoning. Go Sherlock.

26. Arm straightener : TRICEPS. The muscle you use, and if exercised creates a nice horseshoe.

31. Long-haired grazer : YAK.

32. Formerly : NEE.

34. Genre of the band Jimmy Eat World : EMO. Do you want to LISTEN?

35. Storage container : BIN.

38. 1992 Jerry Brown campaign proposal : FLAT TAX. Many have proposed flat taxes, but to discuss would be politics.

39. French king known as "the Stammerer" : LOUIS II. Poor guy! I wonder if he saw this MOVIE.

40. Stamp suppliers : INK PADS. Nice misdirection.

41. Circular file? : ROLODEX. We think of the garbage can as the circular file, but the old Rolodex certainly were.

42. It has a safety pin : GRENADE. My favorite clue/fill, so far from my first thought of DIAPER.

48. Passé rooftop sight : AERIAL. Same thin as an ANTENNA.

51. Alarm : SCARE. I do not mean to alarm you, but we are almost done.

52. "For __ sake!" : PETE'S. According to the phrase finder, this was developed as a substitute oath much like JEEZ, FOR PETE'S SAKE - The phrase is simply a polite version of a common and profane expression involving the name of Christ. We'd surmise that the original 'Pete' was St. Peter."

55. Fine __ : ARTS. What is a coarse art? Exotic dancing? Finger painting?

Ah, the grand mysteries of life all explored here on the ultimate Las Vegas day (7-11 was famous before convenience stores). Well I hope you had the circles and had fun. Thanks Jacob and thank you all. lemonade out.

Thursday, July 10, 2014 Steve Blais

Theme: "What Are You Wearing?"

17. Like him or her : THIRD PERSON.

30. Reagan/Carter debate catchphrase : THERE YOU GO AGAIN.

44. Fail completely : TAKE IT ON THE CHIN.

57. Weakening, in a way, or what 17-, 30- and 44-Across are literally doing : WEARING THIN. Each of the theme entries is "wrapped" in the word THIN.  The word is broken in three different ways, which is a good thing. Let's see what else Steve has thrown at us this week.

Across:

1. Limo rider : CELEB.rity. Short limosine, short VIP.

6. Skilled : ADEPT.

11. Old map letters : SSR.

14. Smetana's "The Bartered Bride," e.g. : OPERA. "Aida" would have been too easy for a Thursday. But this comic opera is one of the Czech Republic's most famous.  Although I personally enjoy the overture, Act II features lovely Czech folk music. 4:14

15. Super Mario World dinosaur : YOSHI. No clue.

16. Own, to Burns : HA'E.

19. Morticia's cousin : ITT. "The Addam's Family."

20. Roman sun god : SOL.

21. Bon __ : MOT. French for "witty remark."

22. Years in Madrid : ANOS.

23. Campfire remains : ASH.

26. Cleaning tool : MOP.

28. Easily perturbed : ORNERY. I think of ORNERY as mean-tempered or stubborn.

34. Disney film based on Chinese folklore : MULAN.

35. Steed's partner : MRS. PEEL. Great misdirection for "The Avengers."

36. Giant thing in a kids' game : STEP. Complete instructions for "Mother May I?" here.

37. Problem with pictures : REBUS. Another great misdirection.  Literally, a problem, that uses pictures. Narragansett beer put out a series of coasters with rebus puzzles on them. See how many you can figure out here. (***Answers, below.)

38. Neeson of "Taken" : LIAM.

41. "Dead Souls" novelist Gogol : NIKOLAI.

43. Summation symbol in math : SIGMA.

47. Mobster's code of honor : OMERTA.

48. Bart, to Homer : SON. Man, will I ever sort out all these characters?

49. __-Mex : TEX. Burritos and tacos and chili (Oh my!)

50. "Alice" diner : MEL'S.

51. Nonetheless, briefly : THO.

54. "Oedipus __" : REX.

56. Completely : ALL.

62. Inconclusive result : TIE.

63. Edmonton skater : OILER. Do you follow hockey, CanadianEh! ?

64. Gladiator's venue : ARENA.

65. Row : OAR.

66. First name on a historic B-29 : ENOLA.

67. Long and lean : LANKY.


Down:

1. Base bed : COT. Aha!  Here's the COT I was looking for at 1-A on Tuesday!

2. Bk. before Philippians : EPH.esians.

3. Hawaiian ring : LEI.

4. Messes up : ERRS.

5. 13, to many : BAD OMEN.

6. Sailor's agreement : AYE.

7. Temporary quarters : DORM.

8. Canadian gas brand : ESSO. It's Exxon in the US of A.

9. Occasions for shooting stars? : PHOTO OPS. Cute clue.

10. Its chemical symbol is Sn : TIN.

11. Illuminate, with "on" : SHINE A LIGHT.

12. Zen enlightenment : SATORI.

13. Certs ingredient : RETSYN. Remember these ads?

18. Sneaky tactic : PLOY.

22. Like cherubs : ANGELIC.

23. Alternatives to tellers, briefly : ATMs.

24. Close : SHUT.

25. "Light in My Darkness" author : HELEN KELLER.

27. Grapefruit cousin : POMELO. Have you ever had Pomelo wine? Very fresh and zingy.

29. Singer Carly __ Jepsen : RAE. "Call Me Maybe."

31. Slender swords : RAPIERS.

32. Like some legends : URBAN.

33. Columbia garb : G SUITS. The space shuttle Columbia, not the school in NY. Not to be confused with G Strings.

37. Add gradually to a cycle : ROTATE IN.

39. Gallic girlfriend : AMIE.

40. Tailless feline : MANX.

42. Young fox : KIT.

43. Dakar is its capital : SENEGAL.

44. __ paste : TOMATO. I used to always end up with half a can of tomato paste that would just turn moldy and eventually get thrown out.  Now I take a piece of saran wrap, plop tablespoons of paste onto it, cover with another piece of saran wrap,  and stick it in the freezer. Once frozen, I put it into a freezer bag - whenever I need a tbsp of paste, I just cut one of the blobs off the saran warp and put the rest back in the freezer.

45. Bloomer of bloomers fame : AMELIA.

The Bloomer Suit

46. __ of plenty : HORN. I always have one of these on my Thanksgiving table.

52. Radiant ring : HALO.

53. Hershiser of ESPN : OREL.

55. Ad come-on word : XTRA.

57. Angst : WOE.

58. Portfolio holding, briefly : IRA.

59. Egg layer : HEN.

60. Octopus' defense : INK.

61. Bit of Senate dissension : NAY.

***Click here for the answers to the Narragansett rebus puzzles.

'Til next week!
Marti

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Don G, who turns 60 years old today! I was so lucky and privileged to be mentored by Don.

Don & his wife Barbie

Wednesday, July 9th 2014 Gary J. Whitehead

Theme: Mélanges, Mash-ups and Minglings. Each theme entry is a noun that amalgamates. There -  four synonyms avoiding the word "mix" which is in the reveal:

20A. Recording industry technician : SOUND ENGINEER

The often unsung hero of the music industry. Here's the supremely talented Bill Price's mix for the Sex Pistol's "Pretty Vacant" including the curious "false start" at the three-second mark. Time Magazine in 2006 named the album "One of the 100 greatest, ever".

38A. One with a busy engagement calendar : SOCIAL BUTTERFLY. Hopefully not in the "betrothal" sense of the word "engagement"!


57A. Kitchen appliance : FOOD PROCESSOR. Food! My kitchen has five varieties in regular use - an electric whisk, a whizz-it up liquidizer, a stick blender big enough to mix concrete, a Cuisinart processor and when I need the big guns, a KitchenAid.

And now the twin unifiers:

68A. With 69-Across, what 20-, 38- and 57-Across do : THEY

69A. See 68-Across : MIX

Greetings, Earthlings. Steve here on either Wednesday or Miércoles depending on where exactly I am at 38,000 feet above the planet. Due to either alchemy or electro-magic I find myself connected to the interwebs and I don't see an ethernet cable trailing out of the back of the plane. Wonders will never cease. And Germany with a 7-1 trouncing over Brasil? Not quite sure what to say about that so I'm saying nothing! Let's move on ...

A nice Wednesday from Gary - a grid-spanner and two 13's, a couple of nice long downs and some other sparkle in the fill. Let's check out the rest.

Across:

1. Subway map abbr. : STA. Station. One of my all-time favorite bits of trivia concerns the London Underground. I've no idea how anyone actually came up with this, but there is only one Tube station on the entire system that does not contain any of the letters in the word "Mackerel". Wow!

4. Early fifth-century year : CDIV. 404. Emperor Flavius's web browser error message: "HTML CDIV. Page non est".

8. Dreadlocks wearer : RASTA. Rastafarian more formally.

13. Bud : PAL. Here's my pal:

14. Mechanical recitations : ROTES

16. Singer John : ELTON. Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE to be precise.

17. Transfusion letters : ABO. Not a good thing to get your blood types mixed up.

18. Stave off : AVERT

19. Nonsense : HOOEY. I needed the crosses for the ending of this - not a word with which I was familiar.

23. Tin Lizzie : MODEL T. "Any color you like as long as it's black".

24. Director Kazan : ELIA

25. Kingston Trio hit with the lyric "Fight the fare increase!" : M.T.A.

28. Fray, e.g. : WEAR

30. Santa __: Southwestern mountains : TERESAS. An obscure little range in Arizona.

32. Obsessed whale hunter : AHAB

35. It's not free of charge : ION. Nice clue!

37. Hoity-toity types : SNOBS

42. Take in or let out : ALTER

43. Petal puller's pronoun : SHE ... loves me, she loves me not.

44. Way out there : AFAR

45. Sicilian seaport : MESSINA

48. SOS responder : USCG. The US Coast Guard. Motto: "Semper Paratus", "Always Ready".

50. Prefix with thermal : ISO

51. Actress Catherine __-Jones : ZETA

53. Belief in one god : THEISM

60. Family car : WAGON. I hear a clecho.

62. Turkish titles : AGHAS

63. Galadriel in "The Lord of the Rings," e.g. : ELF. Not one to be messed with, either.

64. Deadly virus : EBOLA

65. Ruled perch? : ROOST. More nice cluing.

66. Ike's 1940s command : E.T.O. European Theater of Operations, as I'm sure most of us know by now.

67. Family car : SEDAN. I hear a clecho.

Down

1. Jerk : SPASM. I looked at SPAS_ for quite a while before I realized I wasn't trying to find some vaguely non-PC word for an annoying person.

2. Forbidden thing : TABOO

3. One way to read : ALOUD

4. Nursery need : CRADLE

5. Woodworking joint : DOVETAIL. We had to make these by hand in woodworking class back in school. I think it took most of one semester to join two small boards together.

6. Santa Monica-to-Jacksonville rte. : I-TEN

7. Threshold : VERGE

8. Run through lines : REHEARSE

9. Soothing succulent : ALOE. I needed some of this yesterday - I spent about 10 minutes too long in the sun.

10. Leaves in a huff : STORMS OFF

11. Pump part : TOE

12. Vague amount : ANY

15. Circus support : STILT

21. Ones with much to learn : NEWBIES

22. German's "never" : NIE. I must have known this at some point, but it slipped my mind. Crosses to the rescue.

26. Indian drum : TABLA

27. Nineveh's land: Abbr. : ASSYR. Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian empire.

29. Hold up : ROB

31. Brings to a boil : ENRAGES.

32. "Same here" : AS AM I

33. Green targets : HOLES. Oh - golf! I was scratching my head for a moment with this one.

34. Hurricanes and tornadoes, in insurance policies : ACTS OF GOD

36. School sweater letters : NUS. The lowercase letter looks like a "v". Who Nu?

39. Grand Canyon State native : ARIZONAN

40. Calendar abbr. : THU

41. Precedent-setting trial : TEST CASE

46. Outlaw Kelly : NED

47. Bond trader's phrase : AT PAR

49. Well-developed, in a way : CHESTY. I'll leave the linking to someone else for this one!

52. Shop jargon : ARGOT

54. "__ to recall ..." : I SEEM

55. Conductor Sir Georg : SOLTI. Let's link to a wonderful view of "Nimrod" from the perspective of a third (?) violin with the London Philharmonic conducted by Sir Georg. What a treat.

56. Dahl's "Fantastic" title critter : MR FOX

58. "Return of the Jedi" dancing girl : OOLA. Thank you, crosses.

59. "This is bad!" : OH-OH

60. "Rushmore" director Anderson : WES

61. Civil War prez : ABE

That about wraps it up, and just as "we are now commencing our final descent into Los Angeles International Airport and the captain has turned on the fasten seat belts sign" I'd better "power down my portable electronic device and stow it safely for landing". See you all next time!

Steve.